Men's Black Intaglio Ring with Fancy Engraved Shoulders in 10k Yellow Gold

A men’s intaglio ring: a rectangular dark metallic grey stone with clipped corners, carved into rather than raised from, with a helmeted profile facing left — plumed helmet, strong jaw, the classic figure of the form — set in a polished yellow gold bezel. Each shoulder carries three raised ribbed panels with engraved rays fanning out from them, and the band tapers to a plain polished shank. 6.20 grams of 10k yellow gold.

Most men’s rings carry a stone or a symbol. This one carries a face, and because it is cut down into the stone rather than standing up from it, it does something a cameo cannot: from most angles it is a dark rectangle, and then the light crosses it and the profile appears out of the shadow. That is a ring that rewards the person wearing it more than the person looking at it, which is the right way round for a men’s ring. The engraved shoulders keep the gold from being plain without competing with the stone. Why settle for a catalog ring everyone owns?